Kolkata, June 3 (IANS) He may be holding a coveted position in the BCCI after over eight years, but Jagmohan Dalmiya does not consider it as a comeback, rather a challenging responsibility to take charge of the board during a difficult phase.
“It is no comeback. Temporarily I have been given a responsibility and I thought because of the difficult times we are facing, I can’t shy away. That is why I’ve accepted the challenge,” he said.
Dalmiya had played a marathon knock in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from 1979 to 2004 in various capacities, except a three-year break from 1997-2000.
He stepped down as BCCI president in 2004, but controlled the board by proxy for one more year, with his handpicked BCCI president R.S Mahendra being a mere puppet. But he lost power in 2005 when Sharad Pawar and his men took over the board.
On Sunday, Dalmiya returned to an apex position in BCCI when he was asked at an emergent working committee meeting to run its day-to-day affairs after board president N. Srinivasan stepped aside till the pendency of the spot fixing probe initiated by the apex body of the game in the country.
The 73-year-old Dalmiya, however, sounded a bit confused about his role. “I don’t know the capability and capacity of Jagmohan Dalmiya. But I won’t leave any stone unturned to cleanse Indian cricket.”
He also parried a query on giving a timeline for the probe by a three-member commission against Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, arrested in connection with IPL betting, and the Chennai Super Kings franchise.
“That’s a million dollar question. How can there be a timeline? It all depends on how you proceed and work. Just 24 hours have passed since I took charge. Please wait and not rush through.”
To a query about whether he was equipped with decision-making powers, Dalmiya said he should be given some time to settle down. “Please wait and see whether I’ve got any power or not.”
Dalmiya also did not agree with the doubts expressed by members over the legality of the working committee meeting. “It is only a personal opinion. I don’t agree.”
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by authors, news service providers on this page do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Hill Post. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.
Hill Post makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site page.
